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Supporters of Adolf Hitler in Milan emblazoned the city with posters of the German dictator over the weekend in honour of his 125th birthday.

The posters were put up overnight on Saturday by members of the National Socialist Workers Movement, a neo-Nazi group that originated in the Lombardy town of Varese in 2002.

In comments published in Il Messaggero, the group said the posters were a “simple gesture” to mark the birthday of “the greatest leader that Europe has known so far”. Hitler was born on April 20th 1889.

“Every year, we feel it’s important to pay respect to a man who knew how to take a nation’s hand and guide it to rescue, until its tragic end.”

Anti-semitic posters, featuring a stereotypical Jewish man holding a bunch of banknotes, also appeared across the city.

Hitler supporters in Lombardy have gathered prominence in recent years, with some representatives being elected to local governments including Como and Novara.

Neo-Nazi group Militia has also been responsible for a number of anti-Jewish attacks, including allegedly plotting to bomb the president of Rome’s Jewish Community, Riccardo Pacifici.